


Child of the Mother of Monsters (in More Ways than One)

by YellowMagicalGirl



Series: Redemption is a Very Large Number of Steps [5]
Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Claire Nuñez Doesn't Escape the Shadow Realm During the Eternal Night, Bad Parent Ophelia Nuñez, Coming Out, Gen, Implied/Referenced Enbyphobia, Implied/Referenced Transphobia, Misgendering, Morgana | Pale Lady Redemption (Tales of Arcadia), Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Claire Nuñez, Not Canon Compliant, Not Wizards Compliant (Tales of Arcadia), Ophelia doesn't show up but Claire rants about her enough, accidental misgendering, do not copy to another site
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:01:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26378473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YellowMagicalGirl/pseuds/YellowMagicalGirl
Summary: Finally out of the Shadow Realm, Morgana lends an ear to her apprentice, as Claire is struggling with personal issues.Or, Morgana redemption; one of the latter steps.
Relationships: Claire Nuñez & Ophelia Nuñez, Morgana | Pale Lady & Claire Nuñez
Series: Redemption is a Very Large Number of Steps [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1662949
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	Child of the Mother of Monsters (in More Ways than One)

**Author's Note:**

> As a warning, Morgana refers to Claire with she/her pronouns until Claire comes out as nonbinary.

Morgana tended to her plants. After all the centuries that had passed, they had become overgrown. It was a pity. She had tended them so well before. Maybe she should’ve ordered a changeling to tend to her plants. After all, she had been their Eldritch Queen, their Lady Creator! They were so busy preparing for Gunmar’s return, but they should have done more to prepare for Morgana!

Morgana took a breath, held it for a moment, and let it out. She was no queen, not anymore. She had never had the right to call herself a queen. She had done so many horrible things. At least here, in her cave with a giant skull and her plants, she could be at peace. It was nice and quiet here. There was nothing but the sound of the waves, her magic being used to trim overgrown vines, and her thoughts.

“I can’t _believe_ her!” Claire’s voice suddenly rang out. So much for peace and quiet. Morgana stood up and levitated towards where here apprentice was pacing back and forth.

“And here I was, thinking that Mom finally accepting that I can’t be her perfect daughter meant that she’d accept that -” Claire cut herself off as she spied Morgana out of the corner of her eye. She flailed, magic sparking off of her but not forming an attack. “What are _you_ doing here?”

“I _live_ here.” Morgana had the temptation to do something to intimidate the child for her insolence, but she decided against it. Claire was her apprentice, and Morgana was trying to be an understanding master. Not to mention, Morgana was trying to be a better person, one who didn’t constantly intimidate to get her way. “Why are you here?”

“I... I just wanted to be alone, and I thought no one would be here.” Claire drew in on herself. “I thought you’d, I don’t know, maybe started living with Douxie or something, since he’s your nephew.”

“Mord, er, _Douxie_ trusts me even less than you do, Child.” It stung, the way the last of her living family didn't trust her. But, given everything she had done and everything he had been through, it made sense. Why would someone who had been possessed trust someone who possessed others? Morgana and Claire were lucky that he and the Akiridion boy had reopened a portal to the Shadow Realm at all.

“Did you... you’ve always called me Child. Not Daughter, but Child. Why?”

“Daughter... it was too personal.” Especially back when the Skathe-Hrün had first connected them. Morgana had been only using Claire back then. Now? Morgana knew she cared more for Claire than Claire cared for her. Besides, Claire already had parents she had been happy to reunite with. Claire didn’t need a second mother, and especially not a Mother of Monsters.

“Oh... I thought that, y’know, maybe you would’ve...” Claire trailed off, curling in on herself.

“Claire, I am not going to read your mind without your permission. Either tell me or give me consent to go into your head.”

Claire drew herself up to her full height and looked Morgana directly in the eyes. Small defiant purple sparks highlighted her angry and scared brown eyes. “I’m not a girl. I’m nonbinary.”

“Okay.”

Claire seemed taken aback by Morgana’s nonchalant response. “Wait, you aren’t going to argue that I have to be a girl?”

Morgana rolled her eyes. “Much of history has been lost to time, but no. There have been humans who are neither man nor woman since I was a child, and even before then.”

“Someone needs to tell my mom that,” Claire said, hands curling into fists. “White hair? Eyes that turn purple? Cracks and black blood? Magic? All that she accepts, because I’m back from the dead. Me not being a girl and wanting to use ae/aer prounouns? Oh, no, that’s impossible!”

“Do you want me to intervene?” Morgana would let no one hurt her apprentice.

“No, she’ll blame you... I think the only reason why she accepts the magic is because she blames a lot of people. Not because I had magic _before_ I ever touched the Shadow Staff. Besides, she hasn’t kicked me out yet.”

“If those...” Morgana bit back the likely outdated curse words that she wasn’t sure if her apprentice would appreciate being used to describe aer parents. “If your parents were to kick you out, would you have a backup plan to live anywhere safely?”

On one hand, Morgana was tempted to offer to share the cave because that’s what a caring master should do for her apprentice. On the other hand, they both wanted space away from each other after being each other’s only contact the Shadow Realm.

“I mean, Blinky was able to reignite the heartstone, and I _have_ wanted to live in Trollmarket anyways, so I could probably move in there. Or with Jim, Toby, Mary, or Darci. But I’m _not_ moving back to the Shadow Realm.”

“Agreed.”


End file.
